Join Sage-ing International to learn about the work of influential American artist Thomas Cole and then reflect on your own life sparked by the art. A fresh and fun way to conduct a ‘Life Review,’ Cole's art serves as a metaphor for learning about ourselves and inspiration for our own creative choices as we age.

No knowledge of art or art history is needed -- please come prepared to look, see deeply, and think about your own life as a work of art.

Like any good hike or visit to a favorite park, landscape paintings open up the vast world of nature. But more than a pretty picture, Thomas Cole’s paintings are coded with a plea for preserving wilderness while growing a country that co-exists in harmony with the land. Influential today as well as 200 years ago, this 19th-century American painter became our first conservationist. He also recognized how important the vast expanses of land were for shaping American identity. His followers, forming the Hudson River School of Landscape Art, built on Cole’s legacy and used their works for political persuasion.

After our introduction to Cole’s landscape art, we take a close look at four paintings and turn our gaze inward. Becoming a wise elder involves looking through our life experiences, reflecting on lessons learned, and applying those as we move forward. Cole brought these reflections to the canvas with his four-painting series The Voyage of Life.

Now, you have the opportunity to examine your own voyage of life. Bring a journal or some paper and something to write with; be prepared for some quiet reflection. You will be thinking about your own life using the framework of Cole’s four paintings. We build on the introduction to the artist by focusing on the specific symbols and meaning embedded in each painting–all to deepen your own thinking.

Come learn about Cole’s painted arc of lived experience, and use his model to consider your own journey on the river of life.

Facilitators